Why Arizona?
by Shadowhawke Rose
Summary: When 19 year old Kagome finds a well-paying job ad in the local newspaper, she accepts. After traveling all the way to Why, AZ, getting lost in the desert and being hit on by a perverted secretary, she finds out that her new job, and her new employer aren't what they seem to be...
1. Chapter 1

_=Hello~! Shadow here, again... This is the story that Ai Seikatsu requested. She wanted an InuKag story and she left me a lot of room to come up with ideas. This story was mainly inspired from a personal trip to Mexico, and yes... Why, AZ is a real place... So Ai Seikatsu, I hope you enjoy the story~=_

_**Help wanted.**_ Kagome examined these words as she thoughtfully chewed on a piece of bacon, savoring the crunchiness. She was seated in her favorite cushy blue chair in front of the TV, half-heartedly watching a reality TV show as her mother buzzed around the kitchen, trying to convince her younger brother Souta to not inhale his food.

"Souta, honey, you're going to end up choking!" Misaki Higurashi was standing behind her brother, hands on her hips and ladle held fast in her fist. Souta looked up at his mother, brown eyes wide and innocent. "Mhm, hif ah dmnt eaaaph fasht, ah'mna mssh dah bssh!" Misaki rolled her eyes and turned to Kagome. "Translation please?" Kagome quickly looked up from the newspaper, eyed Souta and cleared her throat, " He says; 'Mom, if I don't eat fast, I'm gonna' miss the bus.' You really should swallow before you talk Souta, or you should start wearing a bib." Souta looked up at his mother, shrugged and continued eating.

Discarding her newspaper for later, Kagome attempted to sneak past her mother towards the refrigerator, hand reaching for a cinnamon roll, when an ominous shadow fell over the pastry. "Nuh-uh Kagome! No cinnamon rolls for breakfast!" Kagome turned around to face her mother. "Mo-mmmm! I'm not twelve! I can eat what I want!" Misaki tsked and frowned at her daughter. "Not while you still live under this roof missy! Back to the table!" Misaki took hold of Kagome's shoulders and steered her protesting daughter to the kitchen table.

Kagome stared mournfully back at the abandoned refrigerator, and then turned her eyes to the glop in a bowl in front of her. "Moommm, what is this..?" Misaki turned around, ladle dripping with the gunk. "This is a new recipe of porridge that I'm testing out! I added milk, rice, and syrup!" Kagome eyed the goop in the bowl with mistrust. "Are you SURE that this is milk that you put in?" Her mother frowned, "Of course honey! This is the container that I used!" Misaki held up an empty container. An empty cottage cheese container. Souta abruptly stopped eating, and looked up at his mother in horror. "Are you telling me that I just ate cottage cheese, rice and syrup mixed in a pan? GROSS!"

"I'm afraid so, dear brother! I hope you enjoyed your porridge-a-la-cottage cheese!" Kagome snickered evilly, while her brother pantomimed a slow, painful death by suffocation. A sudden, loud beep broke Souta out of his newfound interest in acting. "CRAP! That's the bus! Gotta go Mom, Kagome, see you guys later!" Souta quickly chugged his milk, grabbed his backpack and bolted out the door, only to come in seconds later without shoes. He wildly glanced around, said a few choice words that caused his mother to frown, grabbed a pair of shoes and bolted out the door. Kagome eyed his retreating figure in amusement, "I wonder how far he'll make it before he realizes that he took your new shoes..?" She mused quietly, Misaki stared at her daughter in horror. "The new ones with the flower print?" Kagome nodded, barely controlling her laughter. Her mother stomped her foot angrily, and resumed washing pots with a newfound vigor, muttering under her breath.

Kagome rolled her eyes, and dumped the brew in her bowl into the trash, wincing as some landed on her foot. Anger vented, her mother turned to Kagome thoughtfully. "Hey, sweetie, have you found a job yet?" Kagome looked up from sanitizing her foot, "No Mom, I'm still looking, but I'll find one soon enough!" Misaki looked down at her daughter fondly. "I know, I'm just worried about your future.." Kagome was 19 and had no bus to wait for. She had graduated from college with good grades, and had applied for several colleges. She had been accepted by several, but had no means of paying for her tuition. Her mother was stretching the family funds enough by sending Souta to the high-class school he was going to, and was working nearly seven days a week, so she couldn't ask her mother for money. She was currently searching for a good, high paying job that would support her, and help take some pressure off of her overworked mother. Unfortunately, there weren't many jobs that didn't require college degrees that paid well.

Sighing sadly, Kagome flopped down into her chair again, picking up the crumpled newspaper. She flipped quickly to the **Jobs** section and scanned the listed advertisements. "McDonalds waitress, no. Babysitter, no, I suck with kids... Housekeeper...NO.. Ranch helper..?" Kagome scanned the ad quickly, " My last helper quit, and I need help with the animals. Must be able to lift heavy loads, ride horses and care for animals. If interested, call Inuyasha Takahashi at 520-745-7587 or contact me at CuttingWind275 ."

Kagome raised her eyebrows at the pay, _College degree required..? NO!_ The raven haired woman clasped the newspaper in her hands and danced around the living room, ignoring the television in her happiness. A sudden thought stopped her in her tracks, _If the pay is this good, and no degree is required... I'm not the only one looking for a job! It might be taken! _Kagome pulled out her android, quickly punching in the number listed on the job ad. She crossed her fingers and bounced on the balls of her feet as the phone rang._ Rrriinnnggg. Rrrrinnggg -beep- "Hello? You've reached Miroku Houshi at Takahashi Ranches, how may I help you?" _Kagome breathed out deeply, "This is Kagome Higurashi... I'm calling about the job ad you listed in the newspaper?" Miroku paused, "_The job ad..? OH! I'm so glad you called! I was the one who posted that ad, ever since our last helper quit, I've been the one doing the work!" _A deep sigh was heard from the other end of the line, _"First things first, where do you live?"_ Kagome frowned, "California, why?" The voice on the other end chuckled, _"California huh? Well miss Kagome, to accept this job, you're gonna have to come to us... All the way down in Why Arizona..."_

Kagome almost dropped the phone. _Why Arizona..? Is that actually a place?!_ She smiled, realized Miroku couldn't see it, and hastily replied; "Ah-uhm, I'd be glad to accept the job! Thank you!" A sigh of relief was heard, _"Thank heavens, when do you think you'll be able to come down?_" Kagome ran to the calendar, she wanted the weekend to pack, and it would probably take her a day to find the damn place (if it actually existed) so it would have to be Tuesday. "I'll be there on Tuesday!" Miroku seemed pleased with her answer, _"Good! You'll need lots of summer clothes, a GPS and... a lot of patience. It was great talking to you Kagome, I'll see you on Tuesday!"_ Kagome tapped the "end call" icon, and eyed the now silent device warily. _A lot of patience..? He must mean the animals._

After searching up Why, AZ on Google Maps, Kagome was fairly certain that she vaguely knew the location of Takahashi ranch, it was in the middle of nowhere, so the GPS requirement explained itself. Kagome grabbed the newspaper in one hand, and pounded up the stairs to find her mother. "Moooo-omm! I found a job!"

_= Sorry for the short chapter! You're probably getting sick of me saying that by now, so I'll try to make this announcement short. This story needs a title, so if any of you guys have ideas please post them as a comment or as a PM to me. I'll pick my top five favorite names that reviers come up with, post them on my profile and hold a vote. After that, I'll narrow it down to two names, unless one name wins by a significant amount... So please, pick a name! ~Shadow=_


	2. Chapter 2

3

_=*sigh* waaaay too much homework, and waaay too many ideas :P If you have any ideas/suggestions for me, I'd be glad to take them, this is still a work in progress, and YES this will be a full story. Thank you to I love Snowy Owls and Midnight Angel Sakura for the reviews~ They inspire me and keep on going! -Shadow=_

Family conference time. Kagome hated it. Every time someone in the family made a 'big decision' Misaki called everyone into the living room for 'the talk'. The last time the Family Conference occurred, it was because Souta had decided to drop out of ceramics in favor of P.E. In short, Souta had never asked to drop out of a class again. This time, it was Kagome's turn to shine in the unwanted spotlight. Kagome gulped, _Family Conference my ass! If I wanted to be interrogated, I would have gone to the police station!_ Thankfully, the only family members present were Misaki, Souta and Kagome herself. Kagome glanced at Souta for support, sending a silent plea towards her younger brother.

Misaki stood up, Kagome cringed, and Souta snickered. Misaki stood, her shadow falling over her cringing daughter, sweat beaded on Kagome's brow as her mother slowly read through the 'help wanted' article, her red fingernail tracing the words of the ad. "So, Kagome..." Kagome winced, bracing herself for the worst, "This is the job that you want to take on?"

Kagome nodded mechanically, biting her lip as her mother began to pace, _This isn't good... If she doesn't approve... What am I gonna do?_ Misaki turned to Kagome, lip quivering... "I'm sooooo happy for you Kagome~," Here, Misaki practically threw herself at her flabbergasted daughter, "I thought that you'd NEVER get a job!" Kagome awkwardly patted her mother's shoulder, _I'm not sure whether I should take that as a compliment or as an insult...? _"Errrm, yeah, thanks Mom.." Kagome looked for Souta, but the twelve-year old had predictably vanished into his room to play Skyrim or whatever else he had downloaded onto his already-slower-than-slow PC. Rolling her eyes, Kagome turned her attention back to her practically glowing mother.

Misaki re-read the article, murmuring to herself as she did so. She motioned with a hand for Kagome to bring her writing utensils and a paper, and her daughter scurried away to do her bidding. After turning half the kitchen upside down, (the only pen was conveniently located underneath the refrigerator) and bending her mothers favorite spatula, Kagome returned to the living room, pen and paper clutched triumphantly in her hand.

Misaki eyed her (now) dust-bunny covered daughter, and began writing, tongue sticking out as she furrowed her brows in concentration. Kagome edged up behind her mother, and nearly choked. "MOM! I don't need to bring a portable refrigerator OR my old prom dress! I'll be working at a _ranch!_" Misaki jumped guiltily, and began to cross items off of the alarmingly long list. "I'm just worried about my baby girl..."

Kagome face-palmed. "Mom, I'm not twelve anymore..."

Misaki gave her a long look, "I know honey, I know..." Kagome froze as her mother began to sniffle, "I'm just so worried!"

Dreading tears, (she couldn't stand it when her mother cried) kagome wrapped her arms around her mother. "It's OK Mom, don't worry about me, I'll be fine..." Misaki nodded, and with a sudden mood swing, twirled out of her daughters arms, brandishing her pen like a lance. "Now let your mother get the list ready, or you'll never be ready to go!" Kagome stood gaping like a fish out of water, and then began to laugh uncontrollably, finally falling onto her blue cushy chair, gasping for breath.

Souta, earbuds still dangling from his ears stuck his head into the room, frowning. "Sis! Shut up! I'm trying to talk to my friends, I can't have them asking if there's a dying cat in the living room!" Kagome stuck her tongue out at her little brother, and chucked a pillow at him. "Speaking of dying cats, go feed Buyo, he's hungry." Souta stared at her as if she had grown an extra head. "FEED him? That cat's fat enough as it is!"

As if on cue, a large ginger and white cat waddled into the room, yawning massively. Souta pinched his nose. "Euuu, tuna breath! What did I tell you sis? That cat eats too much!" Kagome frowned at him, and picked up Buyo, staggering slightly. "Awwh, did you hear that Buyo..? Souta thinks that you eat too much... The poor kitty is practically starving!" Kagome waved one of Buyo's paws for emphasis. "He's almost skin and bones..." Buyo meowed pathetically, ears twitching at Souta.

The twelve year old eyed Buyo, "He doesn't LOOK like skin and bones.." Kagome frowned and put the cat down, Buyo collapsed to the carpet, legs disappearing beneath masses of ginger and white fur, he meowed again, looking pitifully at Souta. Kagome tickled his ear. "Buyo's not fat, he's fluffy." As if to prove her point, Buyo rolled over onto his stomach, allowing Kagome to scratch his belly-fur. Kagome smiled, "And if you don't feed him, he'll pee on your carpet again." Looking positively horrified, Souta bolted into the kitchen, and shortly a fishy smell began to waft through the room. Buyo sprang to his feet, and seemed to teleport into the kitchen where Souta was dishing out tuna into his food bowl.

Kagome smirked, and collapsed onto the couch, grabbing for her ipod as she did so. A headache was coming on, and she needed some good music to keep her entertained. She had a feeling that today was going to be a long day...

3


	3. Chapter 3

_-Projects, projects projects... Argh. Enough of my whining! On to chapter 3 of... Whatever this story is. I need titles! Help me please~!-_

Shit. Just shit. Kagome slammed her hands down onto the steering wheel in frustration, causing the horn to blare loudly and obnoxiously. She would have been mortified in any other situation, but since there was no one around _who gave a flying shit?!_  
She was stuck in the middle of nowhere, with a dead GPS and a phone with no service. Could life get any worse?  
"Nyaaaa." Kagome shot a glare back at the cat who was curled up on one of her seats.  
"Thank you, Buyo, that was... _Very..._ Helpful."  
The cat meowed again, and flapped a paw at her face. Kagome glared at him. "Don't make me regret bringing you with me..."  
Buyo merely twizzled an unconcerned ear and gave a fishy smelling yawn. Kagome shook her head in misery. "Honestly! I'm stuck out in my car, in God-Knows-Where, Arizona, and I'm talking to my cat. What has my life come to...?"  
Said cat meowed sympathetically and stared at the frustrated woman balefully as she continued to yell at empty air. Finally, after exhausting her wide range of swear words, she turned on the car and pulled out a map. She traced her route with one well-rounded fingernail and chewed her lip in frustration as the road split into several obscure mini-roads.  
Kagome gritted her teeth angrily and crumpled up the map, unceremoniously throwing it into the back seat where it bounced off an irritated Buyo.  
"Nyeow," went Buyo, his ginger and white tail puffing up indignantly, "Ny_aaaaa_."  
Kagome was 1053.5% _done_ with all of this. She slammed her hands against the steering wheel and angrily turned to glare back at Buyo. "Alright. If you don't like my driving, why don't _you_ find the god-damned place?!  
The horn blared again, and Kagome slumped back into her chair in defeat. "Alright. I give up. There is _no way_ in all the seven hells that we're gonna find the ranch tonight."  
Kagome revved the engine angrily and began to back out of the little ditch where her 1964 chevy truck had resided for the past two hours. She glanced briefly in the rearview mirror, not acknowledging the bright headlights that were quickly coming her way.  
The light came closer... And closer... And closer still, until Kagome realized that she was, in effect, roadkill. With a very un-dignified squeal of terror, Kagome slammed her foot onto the gas pedal and performed a rapid 180, tires leaving behind black lines as she skidded back into the relative safety of the ditch, her heart pounding so rapidly that she thought that it might rocket out of her chest.  
The culprit to her very near run in with death, a little silver honda, slammed on the brakes and came to a jerking stop, the driver fumbling for the door handle in near-panic.  
"Dear _God_, _please_,_ please, please_, tell me that I didn't do it _again_! Inu's gonna have my _head_ if he finds out about this!" Hearing the driver panic about his boss rather than the girl he had nearly _flattened_ , never mind the fact that her pickup could probably withstand a tank,made Kagome let out a huff of irritation.  
After the man had finished his routine inspection of his car, he glanced over at the rusted, red pickup truck that had taken up residence in the ditch. His eyes widened. "Oh. _Ohhhhhhh_... Oh no..."  
Having had enough, Kagome angrily opened the car door, and strode towards the flabbergasted stranger. "Oh? _Oh?_ Is that_ all _you have to say after nearly _running me over_ with that... silver monster of yours?"  
The man gave her truck a withering glance, obviously knowing that his little silver Honda had no chance against her tank-in-pickup-form. Sensing his doubt, Kagome huffed in irritation and flipped her hair behind her shoulder. "Either way, now that your murder attempt has failed, I need your help."  
The man sent her a quizzical glance. "Oh?"  
Kagome frowned at him. "Yes, _oh_. I need your help."  
While Kagome stared at him, the stranger seemed to relax slightly, leaning up against his honda with ease. "It's no hardship to help a pretty lady in need..." The man gave her a lazy wink and chuckled to himself.  
Not amused, Kagome gave him a glare worthy of killing even the hardiest of living creatures. "Yes. Can you tell me where I might find-", Kagome paused, pulling out the wrinkled help-wanted ad from her pocket, " Takahashi Ranch in Why...?"  
The man nearly choked on his own spit. "T-Takahashi Ranch?! Why d'ya wanna go _there_?"  
Sending the stranger a confused glance, Kagome held up the help-wanted ad again. "I'm going there to accept a job I took up on Friday... So d'ya think you could help me or are you gonna stand there all night looking like a fish..?"  
The man stared at her. "So _you're_ her! You're the girl who applied for my ad!"  
Now it was Kagome's turn to stare. "Then you must be... Mr. Takahashi? Pleasure to meet you! And sorry for yelling at you earlier." Kagome's cheeks flushed bright red. So much for a good first impression...  
Much to her surprise, Mr. Takahashi bent over double laughing. "Y-you think_ I'm Inuyasha_?! Oh god, that's _rich_. Just wait until he hears this...!"  
Kagome was flabbergasted. "So... You're not Mr. Takahashi?" At this the not-Mr-Takahashi began to laugh again, until he was nearly wheezing on the side of his car.  
"N-nooooo... Though if a pretty lady like you wants me to be Mr. Takahashi, I'd be all too happy to comply..." With a quick mood change, the stranger shot her a saucy wink, causing the young woman to splutter angrily.  
"If you're not... Inuyasha, then who are you?"  
The not-Inuyasha eyed her in barely contained amusement. "I'm his secretary, Miroku. Miroku Houshi. I believe I spoke with you on the phone..?"  
Beaming from ear-to-ear, Kagome nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I talked to you on Friday! I kind of got lost on my way here and..." Here she gestured at the pickup truck still in the ditch.  
Miroku nodded sagely. "I understand. This happens all the time. Don't worry, I know the roads here like the back of my hand. We'll have you at the ranch in no time!"  
Nearly squealing in happiness, Kagome bounded over to Miroku and gave him a happy hug. He responded enthusiastically and all was well until...  
*_smack_*  
"Did you just... Grope me..?!"  
The man held up his hands in defeat. I was merely checking to see that your... asset hadn't been damaged when you skidded into the ditch." He palmed the quickly forming handprint on his cheek gingerly. "You slap hard."  
Still blushing furiously, Kagome snapped back a quick retort; "You sound like you speak from experience..!"  
Miroku shrugged. "What can I say? The ladies can't resist me..."  
Sending the secretary a withering glare, Kagome climbed into her truck again and motioned towards the road. "Well Miroku? You want me to take the job or not?"  
The man nodded eagerly, "Yes! You don't know how much of a relief this is to me! Finally I'll have some free time!"  
Not liking where the conversation topic was headed, Kagome decided to turn it to her new employer, Inuyasha Takahashi. "So what's your boss like Miroku..?"  
Miroku gave an exaggerated sigh. "All I can say for now is that you'd better be ready when we get there. He won't be expecting you... I didn't tell him that I hired you.."  
Kagome rested her head against the steering wheel. "Of _course _you didn't..."

-_And that is chapter 3 out of the way. Argh. If you find any errors in this, please tell me. This was written on a day when I had very little __(no)__sleep. As always, thanks for the reviews and kind words. They inspire me to keep going. Even in the darkest of times!_-


	4. Chapter 4

_-Ohmygod. It's been so long since I updated this! I've been so busy! Thank you for all of your reviews, I really appreciate them, and it makes me really happy to see that you guys care :)-_

* * *

_WHY ARIZONA?- Chapter 4_

* * *

Kagome was excited about getting to her new job and all, but after what seemed like hours of driving behind Miroku's irritatingly modern and sleek silver honda coupled with the sheer irritation of having gotten lost in a sweltering desert, her enthusiasm had dimmed more than slightly. She ground her teeth together and brushed an errant strand of hair that had escaped from her ponytail behind her ear.

From the back seat, Buyo meowed loudly as a particularly rough bump jostled the precariously stacked luggage that Kagome had crammed in last minute before she had left the house. Kagome shushed him and swatted at the hair again. Trying to distract herself from her eyelids that were stealthily creeping downwards, she glanced down at the clock.

_4:15_

Kagome groaned loudly and, with much effort, resisted the urge to bang her head against the steering wheel. _So much for sleep_... Already, or so it seemed, a pink tinge was beginning to creep up the horizon. She glared tiredly at the civic that slid along in front of her. How Miroku was managing to stay awake at this hour was beyond her. He had probably had a crapload of coffee. Coffee... Kagome groaned again. What she wouldn't give for a nice Starbucks right now...

Speaking of Starbucks, and thus of civilization... A few sparse buildings were coming in to view.

Suddenly, without warning, Miroku swerved off the main road and onto a little dirt road, marked by a small, nearly impossible to see, sign. With a small squeak of displeasure at having to turn, Kagome swerved the car onto the tiny road, coughing as her open window let in massive amounts of dust. Buyo meowed and gave her a feline glare. She glowered right back and stuck her tongue out. "If you want to boil yourself alive, I'll close the window. But me? I'd rather take my chances with dust thankyou_verymuch_."

The cat meowed again, and then hissed. With an aggravated groan, Kagome hit the breaks, and with much difficulty, heaved Buyo into the passenger seat. The ginger and white furry blob squirmed slightly, and then sprawled out on the seat. Giving the cat an admonishing glance, Kagome revved the car, and continued following the distant honda.

* * *

What seemed like hours later, Miroku finally pulled up into the center of what was either a ghost town, or a very abandoned ranch. In the half light, Kagome could make out several buildings, one large, main building, and several other smaller buildings scattered around it.

When the two cars pulled up, several dark heads popped up from the corral to watch them as they pulled in. Seemingly deeming the cars unworthy of their interest, the horses put their heads down again and paid no more attention to the two new arrivals.

When Miroku finally clambered out of his car, Kagome nearly fell out of hers, clutching a protesting Buyo to her chest. "So we're here now?"

He nodded, and cast a cautious glance around him. "Yeah, but be quiet. Inuyasha gets up soon, and an unwelcome surprise, no matter how pretty," he winked at her, "won't put him in the best of moods."

Kagome snorted. "So how are you going to break the big news to him?"

Miroku sighed heavily, and ran a hand through his messy bangs. "Gently. Very, very, _very_ gently."

Not liking the image that she was getting of her new boss, Kagome wrinkled her nose. "So I'm supposed to lay low until you tell him, or until he figures it out for himself."

The brunette nodded vigorously, tiny ponytail bobbing at the nape of his neck. "Yes."

She sighed, and fluffled her ponytail. "So... Is there anywhere that I can... Um, 'lay low' until... Later?" Kagome had been about to say morning, but if the heat was anything to judge by, morning was already well on its way. By some miracle, Miroku seemed to finally notice that she was dead on her feet, and patted her on the shoulder. "You can take the cabin over there; it's where our last helper stayed... Well, only for a couple of hours, but y'know..."

Kagome wouldn't have cared if it was a shack in the middle of a giant swamp filled with man eating alligators. As long as it had a comfortable bed and an AC, she'd take it. With a tired wave to Miroku that was more of a hand wiggle than anything, Kagome heaved her luggage into the cabin and closed the door.

* * *

She was awoken when the door creaked open and sunlight, and most importantly, _heat_ flooded her room. With a groan, Kagome burrowed herself deeper into her covers and yawned.

"Momm... Shut the drapes..."

Kagome then heard what could closest be described as a snarl. "Mirokuuuu!"

Pattering footsteps and then a loud *smack* closely followed by a wail of pain. "_Oww_! Sango, that _really_ hurt!"

The woman's voice was cold enough to freeze the sun. "I don't _care _whether or not it hurt! What did I tell you about _bringing them home_?!"

Wait, what?

Kagome sat up, brushing unruly strands of suddenly curly hair from her face. "_Whaaa_?"

The woman- Sango, gave her a piercing glare and marched up to the side of her bed, and grabbed her by the front of her nightshirt. "Listen, I don't care _how_ much he paid you to stay the night, but you're leaving. _Now_."

Just now beginning to get the gist of the conversation, Kagome turned the color of a ripe tomato. "Y-you think me-him-_what_?!"

With a put upon sigh, Miroku gingerly stepped towards Sango with the air of one who is treading on very thin ice indeed. "No, _erm_, I think you misunderstood Sango.. This isn't.. Well..."

Apparently deciding to let Kagome off the hook, Sango pivoted to face a very pale Miroku. "And _you_! What do you mean I misunderstood? You coming home late last night, this... Girl with you, and no call to tell me you were coming?! I think I know _exactly_ what you were doing."

Deciding to cut a faintly blue-tinged Miroku off the hook, Kagome cleared her throat. "Er, miss Sango?"

Sango turned a glare that could have withered trees on her. "What."

Gulping, Kagome nervously twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I'm not.. Uh.. I'm the new employee... I got lost in the desert yesterday, and Miroku nearly ran my pickup truck over, so he helped me find the ranch."

The woman stared at her suspiciously. "Reaaalllyy..."

From where she had put it last night in her backpack, Kagome pulled out the help-wanted ad. She pointed to it frantically. "No, see? It was in the paper!"

Sango read it, eyebrow quirked. "California?"

Kagome nodded. "I didn't know the job was in Arizona when I took it."

Her face relaxed into a smile. "Oh, you poor thing... I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. Miroku... Well, he's got a reputation."

Flabbergasted at the sudden change in mood, Kagome grinned hesitantly. "_Yeeaaahhh_... I was hired by Miroku to help out here on the ranch."

Sango sighed, and then turned a glare on Miroku. "I'm guessing you didn't tell Inuyasha about this, did you?"

He grinned cheekily, and shrugged. "Nope. What the boss man doesn't know won't kill him."

Sango glared at him again, "No, but he might kill us."

Just then, there was the bang that signaled a door being slammed. Both Sango and Miroku jumped, and turned to face the main building with a deer-in-the-headlights look.

"_Shit_."


End file.
